“Who gave you the right to decide for me?” Zoya was fuming in rage.

“Zoya,” Mr. Qureshi walked towards her. We raised from our respective chair in response to the drama unfolding before us. “There are people,” he urged softly.

“I don’t care, Abu.” She shook her head as she wiped her brimming tears. “It’s not your responsibility to solve our problems.” She was glaring at Faizal. “You’re two years elder than me don’t act like my father.”

“Zoya,” Mr. Qureshi scowled at her. “You should be glad that…”

“I am not glad Abu,” Zoya interrupted him. “I won’t ever be glad seeing him sacrificing his needs just to keep us happy. I had seen one Abu,” she glanced at Mr. Qureshi. “His entire life revolved around us; I don’t want another one.” Her orbs diverting back to Faizal.

“Zoya,” Mr. Qureshi pulled her in hug as she busted into tears. Faizal stood there, Azia in his arms. Carving in those orbs! He so wished to joint them but he held himself back. He had never hugged his father but he always wanted to. He wanted to confess that he was so proud of his father and he always wanted to be like him. Shoaib Qureshi was his inspiration yet he won’t ever be able to confess it.

•••

“You hadn’t still answered my question,” Faizal scowled as we were strolling in the corridor.

“What question?” I attempted to recollect.

“Who told you about the problem?” His orbs were curious.

“Aunty,” I mumbled. “she told me about the matter. I don’t know if she was offended with my words as she wanted to inform you.”

“And let me guess, you voiced your objection.” I nodded in agreement as he laughed. “Why are you so concerned about me?” He shook his head as he stared at me in adoration.

“Why won’t I?” I argued back, “you did react as I had predicted. If Zoya wouldn’t have voiced her disapproval, you would have carried on with your plan.” I shook my head, “but that’s not the discussion.” I paused as I searched for my cell in the purse. “I prayed with Aunty and Farya di,” I was almost jumping in excitement. “And…” I showed him the picture, Siddhi had clicked. “I do look cute in Hijab as I had predicted.” My voice was filled with pride as I showed him the picture.

He was dazed for a minute and when I was going to take the phone, he grabbed it as he stared at the picture a minute longer. “I can’t believe it…” he shook his head as he glanced at me. “Why would you?”

“What you mean by that?” I was taken aback with his reaction. “I was really worried about Zoya and I just wanted to accompany them.” I shrugged my shoulder as if it wasn’t a big deal. For me, it wasn’t! I believed there was one creator whom we all prayed in different manner by calling them with different names.

“Do I look that awful?” I was worried as I wanted to glance it myself but he was stubborn not to hand it back.

“You hadn’t done it yourself,” he murmured. He was aware that I couldn’t manage to keep the dupatta on my head longer than a minute.

“Aunty did,” I muttered getting embarrassed. “I really made a fool of myself when that stupid dupatta kept moving down from my head.”

He smiled as he shook his head, “I simply can’t believe it.” A beautiful smile was playing on his lips as he glanced back at the picture and then at me. “So, you have another favorite in your list.”

“Favorite?” I eyed him in confusion.

“Your charm has worked on Ammi.”

“Do you think so?” I almost giggled in excitement.

“I think so,” I laughed at his comment.

“I would be happiest if that happens!” I mumbled trying hard to hold back my expectation.

“You really have charm to melt people heart.” His orbs were adoring me with pride, “I was always correct.” He mumbled much to himself. “Its just you who have no clue about your power.”

“Was it a compliment or a mock?” I raised my brow in question.

“You just know that you don’t deserve any compliment,” he rolled his orbs in response.

•••

“How did the thing sorted out?” I inquired as I grabbed a vacant seat on the bus. The last seat was occupied by Zain and the group.

Zoya frowned at the backseat as she was called, “Zoya! Come!” They were calling her. She shook her head, clearly understanding what her friends was trying to do.

“Her would-be husband turned out to be the prince-charming.” Zara spoked getting excited to narrated the incident. “He made it clear that he wants to marry her.” Zara teased while Zoya faked a glare at her.

“That’s the reason one should always trust their parents’ choice.” Zara’s mother added in-between. “He is so well-brought up.” There was pride underlying in her words.

“They won’t be having same opinion about their son after the incident.” Zara mumbled earing a glare from her mother.

Zoya laughed, “exactly!”

“You’re praising him because he supported Zoya di, indirectly our family but what if…” her eyes scanned around and rested on Faizal. “What if in future Faizal bhai supports his would-be wife, would you still claim the same thing?” Zara raised her brow in a questioning manner.

“Though our Zoya is getting married but she is leaving her mini-version behind.” Ahmed chuckled at them.

“But she is right!” Zoya protested, “we had seen the reaction of supporting a girl.”

“It wasn’t about a girl,” Zain interrupted in between. “Do you too think that Fufaji would have left Nivi behind? Don’t you trust your father?”

“Stop speaking nonsense, its not about trust.”

“Then what is it about? Fufaji left because Faizal bhai was stubborn not to listen to him.”

“Will you have behaved in same manner if instead of Nivi, Aahana was left behind?” Zoya questioned, “won’t you have urged to stay behind or asked the bus to wait for a minute longer? Would you have left your sister behind in a vacant road?”

“Fufaji won’t have ever left her behind.”

“What if he had asked you to get on the bus or we are leaving? What would you have done?”

“I would have got on the bus,” Zain was fuming in rage.

“Leaving your sister behind, alone at night?”

“Because I trust him that he wouldn’t have left her, alone. He wouldn’t have moved the bus. If Faizal had behaved in same manner there wouldn’t have been such a drama.”

“If a girl has to ever chose, they would choose someone like Faizal bhai and not you.” Zara muttered, “nothing wrong in trusting Bade Abu,” her orbs lowered on feeling eyes on her but she continued, “but even Aahana di would agree with my statement.”

I glanced at Aahana who gave a slight nod, “a girl needs to feel safe that no matter what the guy she is getting married to, she walking away from her family into, is someone who won’t ever leave her. She can trust in him, in every situation.”

My orbs glanced at the soul whose orbs were fixed on me. Those orbs that spoked volume as his tongue was mostly sealed. Before meeting him, I was convinced that I was introvert and won’t ever be labelled as talkative but with him, I was the most talkative or he hardly spoke. Sometimes I concluded it as his lack of interest in communicating with me but later understood, he loved listening to my nonsense. He was provided with daily-updates! May it be good or bad. He knew everyone existing in my life through he had never met them.

I had some unexplainable faith in the human who was staring at me with such an admiration. I knew that he won’t let a harm touch me maybe that was the reason I acted like a kid in front of him, my rawest-unfiltered self. Meeting him was my first-step towards self-love. He had accepted my weirdness in such a way that I no longer felt ashamed of my unique traits, I no-longer felt offended with the way people disliked it as I knew, someone won’t voice it directly yet I was his favorite.

“Get on your respective seats!” Mr. Qureshi’s authorative voice forced me to break the eye-contact with Faizal. I could feel Mr. Qureshi shooting daggers at Faizal as he had caught him staring in my direction. “The bus is soon going to start,” with that as announcement everyone walked towards their respective seat and there was pin-drop silence in the bus.

•••

During the lunch break Zoya forcefully made us seat with her rest of the gang. They weren’t fond of us; it was clearly visible on their face. Yet we were forced to entertain ourself with them.

“The weather is really cold,” Zain seemed impressed as he glanced at the surrounding. “Seems like we will need sweaters,” he winked at me in a playful manner as I had wrapped my arms around myself, I was sensitive to cold though I loved winters yet my body couldn’t bear it.

“You’re so sensitive,” one from the group commented. “The cold hadn’t started and you’re already sneezing.”

I just wished if the lunch could get over and I would get into the bus. I wasn’t adoring people who were keeping eye on my each actions and judging me. I wasn’t able to understand why they were so behind me? What had I wronged?

“She is a fragile one! Maybe that’s the reason she had grabbed their attention.” Aahana joked but I wasn’t able to take it as joke.

“Whose attention?” Zoya seemed confused, frowning at her group of friends.

“Your family,” Aahana muttered. “Haven’t you seen? Except Fufaji everyone adores her.”

“What’s wrong in it?” Zoya shook her head, “you’re making it sound as if it’s a bad thing.”

“Zoya,” another of her girl yelled in disappointment. “Why aren’t you understanding? She isn’t worried about the attention from others but attention from Faizal.” Her orbs darted at me, “don’t you think…” she hesitated for a minute, “you should maintain some distance from him?”

“Why would she?” Zoya almost yelled in surprise, “she is his friend.” She shook her head, “if there is anyone familiar to her in this unfamiliar world its him.”

“Exactly!” Zain interrupted, “that what I had being trying to tell Aahana. She doesn’t need to be jealous,” he shook his head. “They consider him as his friend.” He stared at me for confirmation while I passed him a smile.

This was so humiliating! Why they had to discuss it in front of me? As if a rescue, Azia’s voice got in my ears and I stood from the chair only to find her in Faizal’s arms. I grumbled as I was on the verge to get back on my chair before others start having numerous opinions about me.

“Azia…” he was going to continue but his orbs went on my half-finished plate. He frowned at me as if indirectly asking me why I didn’t had my lunch as his orbs scrolled around the table.

“Aww…. Princess,” Aahana cooed as she stood from the chair making her way towards us. I could feel the insecurity in her orbs as she glanced at me.

Faizal stared at me for a minute longer as his orbs averted to Siddhi. Siddhi shook her head as she eyed the rest of the people accompanying us.

“Canduu…” Azia was extending her arms towards me.

“Aww… her voice is so sweet as well as cute.” One among us complimented.

“She is cute as well but very choosy,” Zain added. “She has her favorite,” he mumbled.

“Canduu…” she was on the verge of ending into tears.

I took a step forward as I extended my arms. “First finish your lunch,” Faizal eyed at my half-finished plate.

“I had mine,” I mumbled much to myself. I was attempting hard to keep my emotion in check. I needed to distract my mind, lift my mood.

“No, you haven’t!” His orbs glanced at the people on the table. He shook his head as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with him.

“What are you doing?” I objected as I felt orbs planted on me. He didn’t feel the need to answer as he kept dragging me towards a table.

“That wasn’t a way to call her, Faizal.” I heard a displeased voice and I raised my head to glance at the person by the time tears had accumulated around my orbs. Mumtaz was glaring at his son. “You almost dragged her!”

“Almost,” Farya shook her head at her mother comment. Her orbs glancing at me in apology. “I am sorry on his behalf; he sometimes loses his manner.”

“I hadn’t lost my manners.” Faizal growled, “she was acting stubborn.”

“That doesn’t mean you can force her.” Mumtaz was scolding him. If it was any other day, I would had enjoyed the moment and even recorded it to tease him in future but I wasn’t emotionally stable. The words uttered around kept rewinding in my head. I hadn’t used any charm. I hadn’t even dream that Faizal’s family would even smile at me. Everything happening around wasn’t less than a miracle.

“Nivi, Azia was behaving stubborn she wasn’t ready to have a bite of it.” Farya was narrating the incident, “so I asked Faizal if you were free could you…” I raised my head attempting to press a smile but unfortunately a drop of tear descended down my orbs.

“You’re crying,” he muttered, softly. I glanced at his black orbs, his orbs softening in concern. The rudeness, attitude fading away in distance.